Safe Climate Coalition battles drug abuse

OPINION - My WORD

"Lake County youth are still reporting drug use and delinquent behavior that will negatively affect their lives and our society." That quote comes from the 2004 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey.

A series of reports by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed that not only do some 10.4 million young people consume alcohol in America, but also many of them simply walk into a liquor store and purchase alcohol without ever being asked for identification to prove their age.

Ten percent of all drinking done in America is done by underage youth.

Lake County is no exception. We can no longer say it isn't happening here.

"With overall prevalence rates of 61.1 percent for lifetime use and 36 percent for past-30-day use, alcohol is the most commonly used drug among Lake County students.

"Binge drinking (defined as the consumption of five or more drinks in a row within the past two weeks) is more prevalent than any other illicit drug use," according to the survey.

The loss of two teenagers recently illustrates that underage drinking is an issue for all of us. The death of a child is a nightmare from which parents can never wake up. The thought that any such death was preventable makes it all the worse. Alcohol makes our highways less safe, our schools less effective and our future less certain.

Lake County has a substance abuse coalition called the Safe Climate Coalition. Originally, the Safe Schools Committee was organized in response to a shooting at Tavares Middle School in the 1990s.

In 2003, this group officially organized into a coalition. In the fall of 2003, it was recognized as an initiative of the Shared Service Network in Lake County, which is governed by a 14-member roundtable made up of key Lake County leaders, agency heads, government officials, and elected officials.

The vision of the coalition is for Lake County to have a healthy community climate, free of violence and substance abuse.

The Safe Climate Coalition is working with the schools, county organizations and agencies to make a difference in Lake County. The purchase and possession law for 21-year-olds was enacted to save lives, and when enforced, it works.

We all need to join together in a communitywide effort to save young lives.

This information needs to get out:

A criminal arrest history can follow a teen for the rest of his or her life.

An altered drivers license is a felony punishable by up to five years in state prison and a $5,000 fine.

Having an open container of alcohol in public can result in a fine of $106, and if the container is in a car, then the fine can rise to $500 each for the driver and all passengers.

Disorderly intoxication, using fake identification, possessing alcohol if you're younger than 21 or giving alcohol to someone who is underage can result in arrests and if convicted, up to 60 days in jail for each offense and fines of up to $500 for each infraction.

A driving under the influence conviction can result in up to six months in jail, a $500 fine, legal fees, court costs, loss of your license and a huge increase in your insurance premiums.